Nora Batty discovers instant relief from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok shopping malls and frantic festive shoppers at Tammachart Day Spa, Novotel at Siam Square

I was experiencing one of those difficult pre-Christmas Bangkok days. The run of things was making the 101 tasks on my ‘to do’ list become mission impossible. Of the numer­ous locations I had to visit around the city that day, not one taxi driver knew either the destination or common nearby landmarks, and throughout this ordeal a frustrat­ing telephone call earlier in the day was still niggling in my mind. By late afternoon the crowds at Siam Paragon were getting to me, the shopping bags were tugging on my shoulders and every shop window drained me of yet another drop of energy. The effect of cheeky coffee and chocolate brownie break thirty minutes earlier had already worn off, I needed retail therapy in a real spa!

Just a hop, skip and a jump down from Siam BTS station and less than five minutes from Siam Paragon Shopping Mall I knew there was an escape waiting for me at Tammachart Day Spa in the Novotel hotel. I could have opted for any one of the street massage shops, but I would still have been faced with all the shoppers walking past and in a room with several other exhausted custom­ers. That just wouldn’t have done the trick that I was in need of!

Contrary to common perception, you don’t actually have to be a guest in a hotel to use their hotel spa. Known the world over for excellent spa treatments, most Bang­kok hotel spas operate as day spas for outside guests and city residents looking for an escape and some relaxation within the pampering scene in this Meccatropolis of spa establishments. The Notovel on Siam Square is one such place, and in a perfect location for shoppers in need of some quality “downtime”. With a small spa on the fourth floor, nestled next to the swimming pool, eight treatment rooms and qualified therapists offer their clients a natural beauty experience. The Tammachart Day Spa has a treat­ment for every kind of shopper; from various facials, to numerous massages and body treatments.

Not only had the artificial air in the shopping malls drained me into exhaustion, the current dry season and climate in Thailand had my skin begging for attention. With a choice of relaxing, refreshing, stimulating and anti-stress oils for aromatherapy massages, I chose the latter and 60 minutes of pure pampering to while away my cares.

The aromatherapy body massage began at my feet. Comfortably snug on the treatment bed, the therapist pressed my soles while gently asking me to inhale and exhale. It’s amazing how little we regard our feet – these utilitarian peds of 26 bones, 19 mus­cles and over 100 ligaments. We subject them to much abuse, pounding mallways and pavements, and similar to the palms of one’s hands, they have much bearing to our emotional aspects. My therapist knew just where to apply her pressure amongst the maze of ligaments, muscles and bones to send relief and relaxation flurrying up through my legs, torso, shoulder and down to my fingertips…and that was just after a few seconds working on my feet!

Within minutes of beginning the treatment the massage strokes, calming music, dim lights and de-stressing oil were coordinating to take me to another place, far away from malls, bags, Christ­mas carols, angry and frustrated shoppers etc. With my blanketed feet, during the hour-long treatment the therapist worked on my head, neck, shoulders, arms, back and legs. No knot was left unattended and the hand pressure/stretching technique eased any tension that might have found a sung place in my body. The oil seeped through and drenched my skin back to a radiant coat of natural protection…I was ready to surrender to the remaining tasks on my 101 list of things to do, and this time with a renewed joie de vivre.

Using natural ingredients, Tammachart offers a range of specialized beauty services using im­ported products from Europe. The natural and essential dermatological ingredients are suitable for men and women, and a range of treatments from 300 – 3,000 baht. Most facials and body treatments are priced around 1,500 baht.